Mauritius airline news – New e-payment platform introduced by Air Mauritius
AIR MAURITIUS LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE PAYMENT PLATFORM It was learned from a regular source that Air Mauritius has now launched a brand new e-payment facility for bookings made through their website, when they very recently commissioned their new Wirecard payment platform. The new payment system also expands payment options which were previously only possible by […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Third edition December 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or read the daily postings on my blog via: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Many of these articles then also […]
Seychelles and La Reunion to co-host the ‘Carnaval International de Victoria’
SEYCHELLES AND LA REUNION TO CO HOST ANNUAL CARNIVAL FESTIVAL The two Vanilla Islands of La Reunion and Seychelles last week signed a pact to be joint hosts of the second edition of the annual Carnaval International de Victoria, a ground breaking move to have other Indian Ocean islands participate to a wider extend in […]
Kenya aviation news – KQ seeks to recruit at least 60 captains to match crews with new aircraft deliveries
KENYA AIRWAYS TO RECRUIT EXPATRIATE CAPTAINS TO EASE SHORTAGE OF PILOTS During the showcasing last week of Boeings B787 Dreamliner in Nairobi, questions were asked of Dr. Titus Naikuni, CEO of Kenya Airways, how the arrival of additional aircraft in 2012 and beyond the airline is expecting 3 B777 and by all accounts some 10 […]
East Africa aviation update – Brussels Airlines to increase frequencies to Nairobi and Bujumbura for 2012 schedules
BRUSSELS AIRLINES ANNOUNCES INCREASE IN FREQUENCIES TO NAIROBI AND BUJUMBURA Information was received from Brussels Airlines that they will, come April next year, increase their frequencies to Nairobi from presently 3 to 4 a week, while at the same time also raising their flights to Burundis capital Bujumbura from 2 to 3 a week. Notably […]
Tanzania aviation news – Dar’s JNIA set to play catch up, but how and when
NOW DARS JNIA ALSO RUSHES TO CATCH UP WITH DEMAND RISES Information has been received from regular aviation sources in Dar es Salaam, that the countrys main international airport, Julius Nyerere International, has finally and apparently been shocked into a reaction too, following frequent reports in regional media and aviation circles of the determined efforts […]
Seychelles aviation breaking news – Last Paris flights in January as the end of intercontinental operations rapidly approaches
AIR SEYCHELLES TO DROP PARIS ALREADY IN JANUARY The worst fears are coming true for staff and friends of Air Seychelles, when it was confirmed that not only the initially announced cuts of the routes to London, Milan and Rome will become effective almost immediately and be concluded by January 2012 but that Paris too […]
Seychelles tourism news – ‘New’ Seychelles Tourism Academy slowly takes shape
NEW SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMY TO BECOME SELF SUSTAINING As reported here a few weeks ago, the Seychelles Tourism Academy is undergoing a dramatic transformation with the demolition of old buildings and the construction of new, purpose built facilities aimed to provide the best possible vocational and tertiary training for students of the hospitality and tourism […]
Kenya aviation news – No booze on domestic flights as Kenya Airways cuts cost
FREE BOOZE NO MORE ON DOMESTIC KENYA AIRWAYS SERVICES While in Nairobi a few days ago it could be confirmed that Kenya Airways had commenced, what one staff has on condition of anonymity described as a trial, a policy of no longer serving alcoholic drinks on domestic routes, not in either business or economy class, […]
Kenya conservation breaking news – Taxes on conservancy fees threaten private conservation efforts
CONSERVANCIES IN KENYA EXPECT TAX HIT Wildlife conservation groups and those involved in private conservancies in Kenya, crucially important to maintaining biodiversity and supporting government policies of adding private land for the purpose of protecting threatened species like rhinos, are bracing for the worst come 2012, as new tax demands appear on the horizon. The […]
Kenya tourism news – ‘Blocking park gates at the Mara is bad for our image’ says leading tourism stakeholder
DISPUTE OVER PAYMENT METHODS SEES TOURISTS BLOCKED AT MARA GATE The simmering conflict over a new electronic payment method at the entrance gates to the Masai Mara Game Reserve has erupted in a way few would have imagined, when protesters blocked the main Sekenani Gate, stranding hundreds of tourists who were left to see rowdy […]
Tanzania aviation update – Kilimanjaro International Airport rehabilitation to start in January 2012 with planning and design stage
KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REHAB PROJECT TO START NEXT JANUARY Information about an upcoming major rehabilitation and modernization of the Kilimanjaro International Airport, in an earlier article here already mentioned, has now confirmed that the project is set to go underway by January 2012. Now just over 40 years old, the airport was inaugurated in 1971, […]
Kenya aviation breaking news – B787 Dreamliner arrives in Nairobi to the African drumbeats
DREAMLINER ARRIVES IN KENYA TO THE AFRICAN DRUMBEATS (Touchdown and KARIBUNI KENYA Dreamliner) Boeings revolutionary aircraft, as one of the accompanying senior executives put it yesterday in a discussion with this correspondent, touched down yesterday at 11.44 hrs local time at Nairobis Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the thunderous applaus and roars of approval from […]
Ethiopia aviation breaking news – New simulator for Q400 to be installed in Addis
ETHIOPIAN ADDS BOMBARDIER Q400 FLIGHT SIMULATOR (Picture courtesy of Bombardier) Information was received overnight that the aviation training academy attached to the home base of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa will see the addition of a new simulator in due course. The airline has apparently agreed with Bombardier to install a Q400 simulator where pilots […]
Mauritius news – Blackout hits island after lightning struck electrical installations
BLACKOUT HITS MAURITIUS Tuesday saw unusual meteorological conditions over Mauritius cause severe thunderstorms, during which lightning struck key electrical installations, prompting an island wide power outage. While beach resorts were able to switch on backup generators, almost the entire island otherwise went without electricity until later in the day and in parts until evening, when […]
Kenya travel news – Twende Tu to hit the market in early 2012
TWENDE TU SET TO HIT MARKET IN EARLY 2012 The demise of Twende, the East African regions premier travel and lifestyle magazine, still leaves many of their faithful in agony, as coming across good travel information since then has become quite a challenge. Travel News, which merged with Twende before the rot set in at […]
Kenya tourism news – Cheli and Peacock now market ‘Cottars 1920 Private House’
CHELI & PEACOCK ADD COTTARS 1920 PRIVATE HOUSE TO THEIR COLLECTION Not resting on their laurels, having just won several key tourism awards, Cheli and Peacock have just announced that they will now market the Cottars 1920 Private House, which is located just below the Olderikesi Hills, outside the Masai Mara Game Reserve on its […]
Uganda news – The Broadband Company packs it in as the battle for market share heats up
INTERNET BATTLE CLAIMS FIRST VICTIM The Broadband Company, launched a few years ago with much fanfare in Kampala, is reportedly winding up its business in Uganda following a decision by the shareholders that it was no longer viable to continue operations in what has become a highly competitive market. The immediate halt of operations has […]
Zanzibar news update – Sauti Za Busara artist line up confirmed
SAUTI ZA BUSARA ARTIST LINE UP FOR 2012 ANNOUNCED East Africas best known music and performing arts festival, Sauti Za Busara, held annually in February on the spice island of Zanzibar, has just announced the final line up of artists for next years edition. Africas big names are lined up again as the festival has […]
Ethiopian aviation news – A Star Alliance member, finally …
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES JOINS STAR ALLIANCE Yesterday marked the long awaited entry of one of Africas foremost airlines, Ethiopian, which successfully concluded the process of alignments and harmonization required to become part of the worlds leading airline group, STAR Alliance as its 28th member. The other member airlines were represented in Addis Ababa for the party, […]
Aviation news – B777 obtains expanded ETOPS approvals from FAA
ANOTHER FIRST FOR BOEING AS THE B777 GETS 330 MINUTES ETOPS APPROVALS The FAA has announced that they have approved extended operations times for the B777 from the previous 240 minutes, or 4 hours, to now a maximum of 330 minutes or 5 ½ hours flying time, following years of data gathering and interpretation on […]
Kenya aviation news – It is B787 Dreamliner day at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
IT IS B787 DREAMLINER DAY AT JOMO KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL IN NAIROBI (Today in the skies over Kenya, the new B787 Dreamliner. Picture courtesy of Boeing) When the Dreamliner will land later this morning, at 10.45 hrs eta to be precise, in Kenyas capital Nairobi for the first time ever, and by the looks of the […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Second edition December 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or read the daily postings on my blog via: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Many of these articles then also […]
Uganda aviation news – Another crash of aircraft associated with the military prompts calls for safety enquiry
ANOTHER MILITARY PLANE CRASH PROMPTS CALLS FOR MAJOR SAFETY OVERHAUL News broke late yesterday of yet another crash of an aircraft associated with the Ugandan military, when it became known that a plane taking off from Arua, reportedly under charter to the military or related outfits, crashed shortly after takeoff, thankfully without loss of life. […]
Kenya aviation news – Search for pilots intensifies as B787 Dreamliner expected in Nairobi for ‘showcasing’
KENYA AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES NEW HIRING SCHEME AS B787 AWAITED IN NAIROBI (Picture courtesy of Boeing Commercial Airplanes) Boeing Commercial Airplanes in conjunction with Kenya Airways will later this week bring the B787 Dreamliner to Nairobi for the first time, showing off to the Kenyan public, and the media, what type of aircraft the airline has […]
Kenya news update – Windpower plant in Turkana on course
KENYA SETS EXAMPLE FOR AFRICA WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES The setting up of what will be Africas largest windpower farm in the Turkana area of the country, has been cited as a prime example of how the continent, hungry for electricity, can tap into renewable sources of energy like geothermal, solar and as shown here […]
Seychelles news – 43 Belgian travel agents visit the Seychelles
CREOLE TRAVEL SERVICE TEAMS UP WITH TOP PARTNERS TO HOST BELGIAN AGENTS 43 travel agents from the Kingdom of Belgium were last week in the Seychelles on invitation from Creole Travel Services and a range of top class hotels, rolling out the red carpet for them to experience the destination from its Sunday best. Besides […]
Uganda aviation news – ENHAS loses out as CAA approves self handling for Air Uganda come January 2012
SELFHANDLING FOR AIR UGANDA Beginning from January 2012 will Ugandas quasi national airline Air Uganda, otherwise known as U7, begin to handle their own flights, after a long battle with the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority, leaving near monopolist ENHAS short of what is thought to be revenues of just under a million US Dollars. Air […]
Tanzania aviation news – Swissport’s monopoly ended by TCAA’s grant of new licenses
TCAA ENDS SWISSPORT MONOPOLY After years of arguments and heated exchanges between airlines and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority has a decision finally come down to end the unsustainable monopoly at the countrys key airport Dar es Salaam, to license another handling company. Swissport already had lost Tanzanias largest airline company, Precision Air, which after […]
South Sudan news – Uncertain future prevents tourism to take off
UNCERTAIN FUTURE PREVENTS INVESTMENTS, SLOWS TOURISM DEVELOPMENTS War talk between the newly independent South Sudan and the former slave masters in Khartoum is leaving its marks on expected investments and in particular tourism developments, as uncertainty now overshadows the future of Africas latest independent nation. Ethnic cleansing in the disputed regions of Abyei, Blue Nile […]
